Christopher McDougall (born 1962) is an American author and journalist. He is best known for his 2009 book ''
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen''. He has also written for ''
Esquire'', ''
The New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...
'', ''
Outside'', ''
Men's Journal'', and ''
New York'', and was a contributing editor for ''
Men's Health
''Men's Health'' (''MH''), published by Hearst, is the world's largest men's magazine brand, with 35 editions in 59 countries. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands.
Started as a men's health magazine by Rodale, Inc. ...
''.
Biography
McDougall resides in
Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania
Peach Bottom is an unincorporated village in Fulton Township, Lancaster County, in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. It lies on the east bank of the Susquehanna River.
The original town of Peach Bottom was located across the river ...
, a town located within
Fulton Township.
''Born to Run''
In 2009's ''Born to Run'', McDougall tracks down members of the reclusive
Tarahumara Indian tribe in the Mexican
Copper Canyon
Copper Canyon (Spanish: Barrancas del Cobre) is a group of six distinct canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the southwestern part of the state of Chihuahua in northwestern Mexico that is in size. The canyons were formed by six rivers tha ...
s. After being repeatedly injured as a runner himself, McDougall marvels at the tribe's ability to run ultra distances (over 100 miles) at incredible speeds, without getting the routine injuries of most American runners. The book has received attention in the sporting world for McDougall's description of how he overcame injuries by modeling his running after the Tarahumara.
He asserts that modern cushioned running shoes are a major cause of running injury, pointing to the thin sandals called
huaraches worn by Tarahumara runners, and the explosion of running-related injuries since the introduction of modern running shoes in 1972.
''Natural Born Heroes''
In the ''Natural Born Heroes'' (2015), McDougall explores various aspects of heroes and physical fitness, covering the
abduction of a Nazi general during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
,
parkour, and various other challenging situations.
Natural Born Heroes' Is Self-Help the Special Operations Way"
April 16, 2015, NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
Works
* ''Girl Trouble: The True Saga of Superstar Gloria Trevi and the Secret Teenage Sex Cult That Stunned the World'' (2004)
* '' Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen'' (2009)
* ''Natural Born Heroes: How a Daring Band of Misfits Mastered the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance'' (2015)
* ''Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero'' (2019). .
See also
* Scott Jurek
* Erwan Le Corre, a natural movement instructor featured in ''Natural Born Heroes''
* Persistence hunting
Persistence hunting is pursuit until the prey can no longer flee and succumbs to exhaustion or heat stroke.
History and definition
Some researchers have insisted that the point of persistence hunting is not to induce exhaustion but specifi ...
* Jenn Shelton
* Micah True, an ultrarunner who appears in ''Born to Run'' under his nickname "Caballo Blanco"
* Curtis Imrie, pack burro racer described in ''Born to Run''
References
External links
Website
an
blog
of Christopher McDougall
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDougall, Christopher
1962 births
American male journalists
American non-fiction writers
Associated Press reporters
Harvard University alumni
Kent School alumni
Living people
People from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania